What kills little kids?February 24, 2015 - The Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013) based at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington recently released its global mortality numbers for the year 2013.PLOS Blogs

A working malaria vaccine that can’t get moneyFebruary 10, 2015 - Tucked away in a few rooms within the Alexandria Life Science and Translational Research Center in Rockville, Maryland, is a 48-member biotechnology company pursuing a singular obsession to eradicate one of the greatest global health challenges in history, malaria.Newsweek

2015 Gates Letter2015 –
This year's annual letter from Bill and Melinda Gates focuses on their big bet for the future: The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history. And their lives will improve more than anyone else's.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Gates Foundation to donate $500M this year to fight malaria and other diseasesNovember 3, 2014 –
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates said Sunday that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will donate more money toward its goal to stamp out malaria from the world. The announcement is considered as the latest development in Gates’ broader plan to fight tropical diseases.International Business Times

Bill Gates to give $500 million for malaria, other diseasesNovember 3, 2014 –
US philanthropist Bill Gates on Sunday announced he will donate over $500 million to fight malaria and other infectious diseases in the developing world, saying the Ebola outbreak is a call to action.Agence France-Presse

Gates Foundation boosts aid to stamp out malariaNovember 2, 2014 –
Philanthropist Bill Gates says he wants to end malaria in his lifetime and will give more money toward that goal, part of his broader fight against tropical diseases that are getting unusual public attention because of the Ebola epidemic.Associated Press

Which contagious diseases are the deadliest?September 16, 2014 –
No one knows what the death toll in the Ebola epidemic will be. As of Tuesday, nearly 2,500 people have died and nearly 5,000 have caught the virus, the World Health Organization says. So how does this epidemic compare with the toll taken by other contagious diseases?NPR

Humans give malaria to mosquitoes—we need a vaccine to stop thisAugust 20, 2014 –
On Wednesday, the world marks World Mosquito Day to commemorate the 1897 discovery by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross that malaria in people is transmitted to and from mosquitoes. Ross won a Nobel prize for his discovery, and, since then, mosquitoes have been enemy No 1 when it comes to defeating a disease that takes a life every single minute – most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa.The Guardian

'Milestone' for child malaria vaccineJuly 29, 2014 –
Reporting in PLOS Medicine, researchers found that for every 1,000 children who received the vaccine, an average of 800 cases of illness could be prevented. Experts say the world's first malaria vaccine could be approved for use in 2015. BBC News

GSK announces EU regulatory submission for malaria vaccine candidate RTS,S
GSK announced today that it has submitted a regulatory application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S. The submission will follow the Article 58 procedure, which allows the EMA to assess the quality, safety and efficacy of a candidate vaccine, or medicine, manufactured in a European Union (EU) member state, for a disease recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of major public health interest, but intended exclusively for use outside the EU.

Article reports findings on safety and efficacy of the malaria vaccine candidate over an 18-month period following vaccination at 11 African sites across a wide range of malaria transmission settings.

Targeting killer diseases under the microscopeJune 3, 2014 –
Watch this CNBC story to learn more about the late-stage malaria vaccine candidate (RTS,S), and the breakthrough that could reduce the death toll in the developing world from a parasite. CNBC News

Immune children aid malaria vaccine huntMay 22, 2014 –
A group of children in Tanzania who are naturally immune to malaria are helping scientists to develop a new vaccine. US researchers have found that they produce an antibody that attacks the malaria-causing parasite. Injecting a form of this antibody into mice protected the animals from the disease. The team, which published its results in the journal Science, said trials in primates and humans were now needed to fully assess the vaccine's promise. BBC News

The Beauty of Immunization - Why I Work to Develop Malaria VaccinesMay 11, 2014 –
This week, we celebrate "Mosquito Week"--but it's not to honor an insect that much of the world considers just a summertime nuisance. It's to remind us that, in fact, the mosquito kills more humans every year than any other animal--more than sharks, more than crocodiles, more than snakes. And for me, it's a reminder of why I do what I do--that is, fighting one of the worst diseases carried by mosquitoes: malaria.AllAfrica

Why Bill Gates fights diseases abroad, not at homeApril 24, 2014 –
NPR's Morning Edition host David Greene recently spoke with Gates about why he and his wife have chosen to focus their efforts abroad and less here at home—and whether he thinks the world is still on track for eradicating polio by 2018.NPR News

Malaria: is a vaccine the silver bullet?April 18, 2014 – Around the world, about 3.4 billion people are at risk of catching malaria. The infectious disease, caused by a parasite spread by mosquitoes, can lead to severe infection and death if not treated quickly. Malaria kills about 627,000 people each year, mostly in the world's poorest countries. (Q&A held on April 24 with experts is available in the comments.)The Guardian Global Development Professionals Network